Recommended Video:

On the very stage for which the Astros acquired him, Justin Verlander lived up to his name and then some.

Verlander struck out 13 and pitched nine innings of one-run ball to lead the Astros to a two-games-to-none lead over the New York Yankees in the ALCS. He threw his last pitch amid a tie game but Carlos Correa walked off a 2-1 victory with a double off Aroldis Chapman that scored Jose Altuve in the bottom of the ninth.

The Astros have never before held a 2-0 series lead in an LCS. Game 3 will be played Monday at Yankee Stadium.

Verlander was utterly dominant. The former MVP and Cy Young Award winner became the first starter this postseason to pitch into even the eighth inning and the first Astros to complete nine in the playoffs since Nolan Ryan in the 1986 NLCS.

Verlander allowed only five hits and one walk. He ran his fastball up to 97 mph and his slider up to 89. He filled up the strike zone, throwing 93 of his 124 pitches for strikes.

Shut down by Yankees pitching for most of their 2-1 win, the Astros parlayed two hits off Chapman into the winning score. Altuve smacked a one-out single to set the stage for Correa, who roped one to the left-center field gap. Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez couldn't corral the throw at the plate, and Altuve slid past him for the win.

The Astros appeared to catch a break when Luis Severino, the Yankees' best starter, exited after only four innings. However, facing the Yankees' bullpen once again proved no consolation.

Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa (1) is mobbed by his teammates after hitting a double that allowed second baseman Jose Altuve (27) to score the winning run in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the ALCS at Minute Maid Park on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017, in Houston. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle )

Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa (1) is mobbed by his teammates after hitting a double that allowed second baseman Jose Altuve (27) to score the winning run in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the ALCS at

Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa (1) is mobbed by his teammates after hitting a double that allowed second baseman Jose Altuve (27) to score the winning run in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the ALCS at Minute Maid Park on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017, in Houston. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle )

Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa (1) is mobbed by his teammates after hitting a double that allowed second baseman Jose Altuve (27) to score the winning run in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the ALCS at

Tommy Kahnle, one of the relievers they acquired from the Chicago White Sox before the July 31 trade deadline, shut down the Astros for two innings of relief. David Robertson, another part of that deal, followed suit for the next two.